Well my friends the Winter 2016 Anime Season has come and gone. This, naturally, means that it is wrap-up time!! The wrap-up will work the same way it has worked the way that it has with all of the other wrap-ups. I will tell you guys what I thought of the shows that I watched that season, and if I decided to add or drop a show I will let you know why I did so. There are not any anime that are carrying over to the Spring 2016 season, at least not that I am watching, but I will be wrapping up the shows that started back in the Fall 2015 season and finished this season. Alright then, here is my wrap-up for the Winter 2016 Anime Season.

So last season I watched about six anime throughout the whole season, and two of those shows carried over into this season. For Winter 2016 I watched a total of ten shows, which seems absolutely crazy to me. Looking back I have watched at the most seven anime, which of course does not count the long running anime that were also airing. In this season, I ended up adding one anime and dropping two others as the season went on. I will let you know which shows those were and why. Anyway, there is a lot of anime to get through so let us get started!!

Active Raid: Kidou Kyoushuushita Dai Hakkei

And we are staring off with one of the shows that I ended up dropping. Looking back when I mentioned why I started watching this show I said that if the show played its cards right it would do very well, but unfortunately to me it did not do what it could have done. I got through the first eight episodes and it just stopped making me want to come back. It almost felt like they were trying to do too much with the show. I am kind of upset because I thought that in the beginning the show was really good, but as it went on nothing really changed and the plot did not take a serious tone. I heard that a second season was announced, and I honestly doubt I will watch it.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime Season 2

Moving on to life goals, the second season. Hahah. I am kidding..kind of. I absolutely loved the first season of this show and was even more excited for this season. It definitely did not disappoint. Zen, Shirayuki, Obi, and crew continued telling a beautiful story that I love so very, very much. This second season continued with the same tone and feel that the first season drew me in with. I am sad to see this show go, but I really think that it ended beautiful. Zen and Shirayuki are so cute and I cannot even handle it! If you have not seen either season of this anime and love a good romance, I suggest you go and watch it.

Durarara!!x2 Ketsu

One of my favorite anime has finally come to an end, and when I am saying that I cried through half of it, I really did. This final installment had the same Durarara!! fell to it with all the silliness but added a tone of seriousness that made this show even better than it was before. It often left me on the edge of my seat and angry that I would have to wait a whole week to figure out what happened next. I am sad that now the story of Durarara!! is over but I am really happy with the way that it ended. I may have to do a full review of the second season soon.

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED)

The one show that I picked up this season, and boy am I glad that I did. I kept hearing great things about it and finally gave it and gave ERASED a try. I lucky had five or so episodes to catch up on and it really had me hooked from episode one. This had another show that had me begging for more after every episode. I feel like you either loved or hated this show, and I will admit it was not perfect, but to me it was a very well done show that I really enjoyed. I figured out who the murder was pretty early on, but even after that I kept second guessing myself because certain things were brought up that kept changing my mind. This show had me laughing, crying, and completely drawn in to what was playing on the screen. I am very happy that I gave in and watched this how. I absolutely loved it.

Haikyuu!! Season 2

When I came into season 2 having finished binge watching season 1 not too long before, I did not think I could come to love all of these characters more than I already did. Boy was I wrong. This show had me crying tears of joy and tears of sadness. I am happy that there will be a third season but I think it cannot come fast enough. I need it now!! Haha. But really I was in love with this show. We were introduced to some very interesting new characters and at the same time got see our beloved Karasuno boys evolve and mesh together beautifully. I was addicted to this show, and drank in every second of it that I could. The story was a continuation of the first season and we got to see how it affected our characters even more and watching them grow made me cry. The amount that I loved this show was crazy, and I seriously just need the third season right now!!

Haruchika: Haruta to Chika was Seishun Suru

For a show about a high school band club, there sure was not a lot of instrument playing going on. I mean the show was pretty okay overall, but it was much more focused on solving the individual mysteries in each episode than it was on the fact they were trying to recruit more members to their club. The main heroine, Chika, was super hyper and had not idea what was going on half the time which was not too bad because sometimes I did not quite know what was going on either. I think if there was one main mystery that the show focused on as they tried to recruit more people then I would have enjoyed it more. Or if there was actually any real evidence that helped Haruta to solve all the mysteries. Some stuff just seemed like he pulled it out of nowhere. The show was not horrible, but I felt like it could have been a little if some things had been done a little bit differently.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Probably my favorite Gundam series that has come out recently. This show was very well done and the story was so, so, so good. There were times when I was absolutely upset with something that happened but then I remember how upset I was during Gundam 00 and how much I loved that show. They were not afraid to go places with this show whether that meant a character death or a battle that left me speechless. It is definitely a good series for anyone who has never seen a Gundam series before or someone who has seen one. I had no idea where the show was going at time, and that face itself makes me love it even more. I loved everything from main characters to the openings. I cannot wait for season 2 to see what is in store for our heroes next.

Norn9: Norn+Nonet

I am going to just go ahead and be honest, I got four episodes in and then kind of lost all motivation to continue watching this show. There just was not a whole lot of things going on, and each episode I saw just kind of ended with nothing really hooking me to come back. One week I was just like “Oh I’ll just watch it tomorrow” and I did not watch that episode or the eight that followed. I do not really have a lot to say about this show because I really did not get a good feel for it because I kind of got bored. Unlike Active Raid though I may give this show another try later on. We will have to see.

Prince of Stride: Alternative

I was super excited about this show, and let me just say that it may have been a little cliche but I still liked it. Stride is a sport that I would probably never want to compete in because I would probably hurt myself, but watching the Honan Stride Club clear every hurdle and overcoming all kinds of obstacles had me hooked. This was another show that I thought was really well done and really enjoyed. I mean its a sports anime so….I kind of have a habit to fall in love with them no matter how cheesy and predictable they are. It is a really cute anime about teamwork and overcoming your fears and I found it really funny and entertaining.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

I started this show on a whim and boy am I glad that I did. This show was really good and I really recommend it if you have not watched it yet. The characters carry the story and you do not even have to know what Rakugo is to watch it. The soundtrack of this show was so jazzy and fun and I loved it! Even if we did not get to spend a lot of time with our “main character” Yotaro, we did get to see how Yakumo got to where he is. The story of Yakumo was so well told and this show was just really well done. As I mentioned before it does rely heavily on the characters which is good because all of these characters are really interesting and appealing. There was one character that I was not too fond of but I do not want to talk about her because I am talking about how much I loved this show. Anyway, it is a historical drama, which I love, and it was fun to see Yakumo and Sukeroku age over the course of the. It will also be getting a second season which I am VERY excited for. If you have not watched it yet, I would recommend giving it a try.

That is all that I have for this Wrap-Up!! Oh wait!! I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Diamond no Ace for suddenly ending on me at 51 episodes. That ending left me in a puddle of emotions that I cannot describe, and also reminding me that I watched that show for two and a half years….TWO AND A HALF YEARS AND THIS IS HOW YOU LEAVE ME!! Oh sorry…I got a little carried away there. Hahaha. Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this season, and am really happy to find out that some of my favorite shows are getting additional seasons which is nice because otherwise I would have been using this time to complain about that. We had some really good shows come out of this season, and some pretty okay ones as well, but nevertheless I think the Winter 2016 Anime Season was a pretty good way to start of the year.

Okay now that is all that I have!! What do you guys think? What were your favorite shows out of this season? Did any of them surprise you? Are you excited about some of the shows getting additional season? Let me know down in the comments below!!

"I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!" - Goku